Autographic register



v July 7, 1936. L. A. HQLMAN 2,046,746

AUTOGRAPHIC REGISTER Filed 10, 1932 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 fmwevij or. L 0-[ i 61 Hall/w 6% whymww FIOLMAN July 7,' 1936. L. A.

AUTOGRAPHIC REGISTER Filed Aug. 10, 1952 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 July 7, 1936. A. HOLMAN AUTOGRAPHIC REGISTER July 7, 1936. L. A. HOLMAN I AUTOGRAPHIG REGISTER 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Aug. 10, 1952 Patented July 7, 1936 UNITED STATES ATENT OFFICE Application August 10,

22 Claims.

This invention relates to that type of manifolding device commonly known as an autograp-hic register and more particularly to that type of register in which a plurality of sheets or webs are fed over a support or writing table with means interposed between the sheets for transferring any record made on the top sheet to the lower sheets.

In the autographic register in use today, superposed continuous sheets or strips of paper, usually two or more, are fed by suitable mechanical means from a roll or rolls, or a pad or pads, contained in a compartment of the register, over a Writing tablet, Where sheets of carbon paper are inserted transversely between the superposed strips so as to secure a plurality of copies of the matter written on the top sheet. Generally, upon each of these strips of paper is printed a series of forms of account, consecutively numbered, where:- on a record of sales may be recorded, the idea being that the form upon one of the superposed strips of paper is for delivery to the customer and the corresponding numbered form upon another strip is intended as an office record of the transaction, and if there is a third form, that is automatically fed into a locked chamber in front of the machine to be available later for audit or reference purposes. If further copies are required, more than three strips of paper may be used in the manifolding machine. By a revolution of a crank in the manifolding device, or some such similar means, the forms after a transaction has been recorded on the top sheet are advanced in the machine to bring new forms over the writing table and the used forms, with the exception of the audit strip, are torn off and the audit strip is fed intact through the machine, as already mentioned, into a compartment specially provided therefor. It is necessary that the strips of paper in the manifolding machine be in perfect alignment, that is to say, the forms upon the underlying strips of paper bearing the same number as the top form, must be in alignment or registration, the one to the other, so that any inscription made on the upper form upon the writing tablet will be transferred with exactness in all respects to the same numbered underlying forms.

In the manufacture of autographic registers, great difficulty has heretofore been experienced in producing a register adapted for feeding a plurality of webs or strips of paper intermittently in accurate steps and to maintain the webs or strips in perfect register with each other without requiring frequent adjustment of the paper in the 1932, Serial No. 628,145

register. No register has heretofore been produced which has been satisfactory in operation in these respects and the registers now in use are open to the objection that frequent adjustments are required which involve loss of time and detract from the efficiency of the register. In many cases, users of a plurality of registers keep an extra substitute machine on hand for use in such emergencies.

Another source of difiiculty has been that none of the registers in use have insured the delivery of theauditors copy into the locked compartment in such manner as to eliminate the stopping of the machine due to crumpled paper in that comp-artment. It frequently happens that the auditors copy fed into the compartment becomes d18- arranged or fails to fold as it should, whereupon it begins to crumple with the result that the compartment is soon filled with a crumpled mass of paper and the register is rendered non-usable until the locked compartment has been opened by the proper person, the crumpled record taken out and the paper web readjusted. for proper feeding into the compartment. Delays due to this cause are not infrequent and are vexatious involving time and expense and interfering with the orderly conduct of the business in which the register is used.

The principal object of the present invention is the elimination of the foregoing difficulties by the production of a register of the type described which is simple and compact in construction, durable and eficient in operation and which will not get out of adjustment or break down in use.

One of the important objects of the invention is the provision of means for feeding a plurality of sheets or webs which is positive in its action and which is capable of adjustment to feed said webs an exact predetermined distance on each feeding movement irrespective of any lost motion in the feed operating mechanism and which is designed to maintain accurate register at all times between the webs.

Another object of the invention is the provision of means for severing the used portions of the sheets or webs at the end of each feeding movement.

A further object of the invention is the provision of means for feeding one of the severed copies into a locked auditors compartment and for delivering the other severed copies to the operator of the register.

- Yet another object of the invention is the provision of a register adapted to be operated either by hand as by a crank or by power such as an electric motor.

Various other objects of the invention will be more specifically set forth and described hereinafter.

My invention contemplates an autographic register in which a plurality of strips or webs of paper are drawn over a writing table from a sup"- ply in suitable form in the register, the strips or webs of paper at the table being interleaved with transverse strips of transferring material such as carbon coated paper so that a number of copies equivalent to the number of strips or webs is made at one writing. The invention further contemplates the provision of means for feeding the paper forwardly after each writing operation to move fresh portions onto the table, means for severing at the end of each feeding movement, the used portions from the strips or webs and means for delivering the bottom copy into a compartment which may be locked and the other copies to the operator of the register.

One of the important features of my invention consists in. providing feeding means adapted to maintain an absolutely exact feed which is not varied or otherwise affected either by the paper gripping and releasing operations or by lost motion of the parts or other causes. This end is accomplished by providing a gripping mechanism and means for imparting a reciprocal movement thereto to feed the paper, said means being so connected tothe gripping mechanism that it is operated either to grip or release the paper after it has reached the end of its stroke in one direction or the other. The preferred form of gripping mechanism comprises a pair of jaws and a cam member for opening and closing the same, all mounted on a suitable support for reciprocal movement. For operating the gripping mechanism, a rack-bar or other suitable member, adapted to be reciprocated by suitable means, is connected to the cam member only, said rack-bar being adapted by continued movement, when the gripping mechanism has reached the end of its stroke, to move the cam member to operate the jaws. The force required to operate the cam member is greater than the force required to reciprocate the gripping mechanism so that the jaws are not operated until after the gripping mechanism has stopped. Since the length of the path of this mechanism can be adjusted definitely by the use of suitable stops, the feed of the paper is always exact and perfect alignment and. registration is always maintained.

Another feature of my invention resides in providing means for severing the used portions of the paper webs at the end of each feeding movement so that the copies are delivered in separated condition. This feature has marked advantages over the old method of feeding the bot tom web in a continuous condition into the locked compartment and tearing off the used portions of the other webs. It eliminates all crumpling and stoppage of the machine which so: frequently happens when the bottom web is fed into the compartment in a continuous form and fails to fold properly and it prevents any disturbance of the registration of the webs which sometimes happens when the operator tears the used portions off at the perforations. This feature also tends to save time in the use of the machine because it eliminates the tearing operation. at the end of the feeding movement.

For the purpose of illustrating my invention, there is shown in the accompanying drawings an autographic register constructed and adapted to be operated in accordance therewith, in which, Figure 1 is a plan View of a register provided with a motor for operation. by electric power, said register being shown on a reduced scale; Fig. 2 is a plan view of the register with the covers removed to expose the interior mechanisms, the web of paper being shown at the end of a feeding movement with the used portion severed; Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the register with certain portions broken away to expose the interior mechanism; Fig. 4 is a vertical, longitudinal, sectional view on line l4 in Figure 2; Fig. 5 is a transverse, vertical, sectional View on line 5-5 in Fig. 4, but on a much enlarged scale to show fully the gripping mechanisms in end elevation; Fig. 6 is a side elevation of one of the gripping mechanisms showing the jaws closed; Fig. 7 is a similar view with the jaws in open position; Fig. 8 is a transverse, vertical, sectional view on line 88 in Fig. 4, showing particularly the severing mechanism; Fig. 9 is a longitudinal sectional view of the severing mechanism showing the position of the parts at the end of the cutting stroke; Fig. 10 is a similar view showing the severing mechanism in normal inoperative position; Fig. 11 is a plan view of the means for guiding the bottom copy into the locked compartment shown in a forward guiding position; Fig. 12 is a vertical longitudinal view showing the positions of the guiding means and severing means at the beginning of the feeding stroke; Fig. 13 is a similar view of the same parts at the end of the feeding stroke and just after the severing operation; and Fig. 14 is a vertical transverse sectional view of the writing table and means for holding the transferring material such as carbon coated paper.

Referring to the drawings showing one embodiment of the invention, l5 designates a casing which also serves as a frame for enclosing and supporting the operating mechanisms. The casing may be made of any suitable material and in any suitable form but, as shown, is of elongated rectangular form. The bottom and sides of the casing are in one piece and the ends of the sides which are slightly longer than the bottom are turned inwardly to form flanges l6 partially closing the two ends of the casing (Fig. 2). In the rear end of the casing is mounted a removable drawer il without sides. adapted for holding a supply of paper folded zigzag and known as a fiatpack and the outer exposed side I8 (Fig. 2) of this drawer overlaps and engages the side flanges l 6 on said rear end to prevent the drawer being pushed too far into that end of the casing. A knob I 9 facilitates manipulation of the drawer. Mounted in the forward end of the casing is a drawer 20, the front 2! of which overlaps the side flanges It on that end and closes it. This drawer is intended to receive the auditors copies and the upper part of its rear end is separated from the sides, extended and turned rearwardly to form a. slide 22 (Fig. 4) for the cutoff auditors copies to pass into the drawer. The rear top portion of the casing is closed by a flanged cover 24 having hinges 26 pivotally mounted on screws 2'! in the frame so that the cover may be freely raised when necessary (Fig. 3). The downwardly turned flange at the rear of the cover laps over the upper edge of the drawer H to hold it within the casing. The cover 24 is provided with a rectangular opening 28 to expose that portion of the paper available for writing. The

forward end of the casing is also provided with a flanged cover 39 having an end flange adapted to overlap the upper edge of the front panel of the drawer 29 to hold it in the casing and any suitable means may be provided for locking this cover in place to prevent tampering with the auditors copy.

Mounted in the rear part of the casing just below the cover 24 is a writing table or support 32 (Fig. 4), the rear end of which is turned tightly around a rod 33 having reduced ends mounted loosely in the sides of the casing. The forward end of the writing table or support rests loosely upon a transverse reenforcing bar 35, reversed U-shaped in cross section, the two ends of which are fastened to the two sides of the casing by screws 36. The writing table and rod 33 are pivotally movable so that it may be raised when required to give access to the interior of the rear part of the casing. The sides of the writing table may be turned downwardly to form flanges 31 for stiffening the table to prevent bending when being written upon. In order to guide the paper as it is drawn upwardly around the rear end of the writing table by the feeding movement, a pair of disks 38 may be mounted on the rod 33 in adjusted position.

For feeding the paper forward after each writing operation, a pair of gripping mechanisms is provided, one on each side for gripping a forward corner of the paper and suitable means is provided for imparting a reciprocating movement to the gripping mechanisms and for operating them to grip and release the paper at the appropriate times.

Each of the gripping mechanisms comprises a lower fixed jaw 49 and a movable upper jaw 4I both of elongated plate form horizontally positioned (Figs. 5-7). The jaw 49 is formed integral with a vertical plate 42 having its two ends 43 and 44 turned at right angles outwardly, between which is a fixed sleeve 46 adapted to slide on a rod 41, supported at its rear end in the cross U-bar 35 and at its forward end in a vertical transverse bar 48 fastened by its laterally turned ends to the sides of the casing by screws 49. The upper jaw 4| has a vertical body portion 55 which is pivotally mounted on a screw stud 56 mounted in the fixed jaw plate 42 between that plate and the sleeve. The two gripping mechanisms are connected together to move in unison by a tie bar 51 fastened to the ends 44 by screws 58.

The gripper mechanisms are reciprocated on their supporting rods 41 by means of a pair of rack-bars 69, the rear ends of which are supported by a pair of housings 62 in the rear part of the casing. Each of these housings is provided with a longitudinal flange 63 whereby it is fastened to the inner face of one side of the casing by screws 64 (Fig. 3). These housings are of sufficient length to permit full movement of the rack-bars without separation therefrom. The forward end of each rack-bar is connected to one of said gripping mechanisms, which supports that end, by the following means. A split block 69 having a bottom recess for receiving the rack-bar is adjustably fastened thereto by a pair of screws 61 and this block is pivotally connected by a pin 68 to a cam 69 pivotally mounted on a screw stud 19 held by a nut 'II in the vertical plate 42 of the lower jaw of the gripping mechanism. This cam is provided with two cam edges I2 and I3 adapted one or the other to engage a tail part I4 of the movable jaw. The cam edges are in substantial right angled relation to each other and are over the center sufliciently to require an appreciable force to operate from one position to the other, a spring 15 interposed between the tail part and the end 44 tending to keep jaws open.

To impart a feeding movement to the gripping mechanisms the rack-bars are longitudinally reciprocated by any suitable means and one form of such means is shown comprising gears operated from a cam shaft adapted to be rotated either by a crank or by power, such as a motor. The rack-bars 69 are faced downwardly and meshing with each rack-bar is a large gear 89, these two gears being fixed to a transverse shaft 9!, the two ends of which extend into longitudinal slots 82 in the side walls of the casing (Fig. 4). Each large gear 89 carries riveted to its outer face a smaller gear 84 meshing with a short rack-bar 95 faced upwardly and fastened to the side wall of the casing by screws 86. The rack-bars 99 are moved horizontally by moving the shaft 8| longitudinally of the casing, thereby rolling the smaller gear on the short rack-bar 85 by means of a pair of cranks 86 each connected at one end to the shaft SI and at the other end to a crank disk 81 by a pin 88. The two crank disks 81 are fixed to a cam shaft 99 adapted to be rotated either by a crank or by power. This shaft is rotatably supported in the ends of two rearwardly extending brackets 9I having their feet 92 secured by screws 93 to a plate 94 or partition extending across the casing approximately midway its ends.

This partition is secured in position by rightangled brackets 96 fastened to the plate by screws 9'! and to the sides of the casing by rivets 99. This partition also serves to reinforce the sides of the casing to prevent inward or outward movement of the same.

The revolution of the shaft 99 and cam disks through the instrumentality of the two cranks 96 moves the shaft BI longitudinally of the-casing in the slots 82 thereby causing the small gears to travel by rotation on the short rackbars and to turn the large gear during said travel to reciprocate the rack-bars longitudinally. By means of this construction, I secure a relatively long throw of the rack-bars with a relatively small diameter crank thereby enabling me to use a very compact mechanism for operating the rack-bars and one which takes up very little space.

For rotating the cam shaft 99 and cam disks 81, I provide a gear I99 (Fig. 9) riveted to the inner face of one of the crank disks on one side of the casing which, meshes with a gear I9I mounted on a stud shaft I92 extending outwardly through one side of the casing, the outer end of which may be provided with a. crank (not shown) or connected to a motor I93 (Fig. 1) by any suitable means. In case a crank is used, the gear I9I is preferably made of the same diameter as the gear I99 but when a motor is employed, it is preferable to reduce the diameter of the gear I9! to suit the power of the motor. The gear I9I is held on the stud shaft by a nut I94.

For severing the used portions of paper, any suitable severing means may be employed and one such is shown comprising the following. A fixed shearing member I is fastened in oblique position to a cross bar I99 having squared ends whereby it is secured by screws I91 to the U-bar 35. Between the squared ends, the cross bar is bevelled and screws I98 are used for fastening the blade I95 to the bevelled top surface of the bar with one edge projecting over the bar in position to be engaged by a knife blade I III mountedtransversely of the casing for vertical reciprocation and having an oblique cutting edge I I Ito produce a shearing action.

The movable knife blade III] is supported on a frame made up ofv a cross bar H2 and two uprights I I3, which frame is guided by means of milled blocks II l fastened by screws II5 to the central partition 94. A pair of springs II'I under tension at all times are each connected at one end to screws II8 set in the partition 94 and at the other end to the cross bar I I2. These springs normally tend to hold the movable knife blade raised. To hold the knife blade in a depressed position ready for upward movement when released at the appropriate time, a pair of dogs I20 is provided, said dogs being fixed, one on each end of a shaft IZI rotatably mounted in the lower end of two depending arms I22, each formed on one of said brackets 91. The free end of each dog enters a cut out recess on one end of the cross bar II2 engaging a shoulder formed thereby. The movement of these two dogs is controlled by a cam I24 fixed on shaft 90 upon the periphery of which cam rides: a roll I25 carried in the end of an arm I26 fastened to the shaft IN. The tension of the springs III by exerting upward pressure on thedogs I26] holds the cam roll I25 in engagement with the periphery of the cam I24 at all times. This cam is provided with a depressed portion so that when the roll I25 reaches this part of the cam in the revolution of the shaft 96', it permits the arm I26 to move inwardly toward the shaft 96 raising the dogs and permitting the springs III to pull the knife frame and the knife upwardly. The cam surface I28 which permits this movement is abrupt so that the upward movement of the movable knife blade at this point is rapid in order to effect the shearing action. The cam surface I38, however, has a more gradual incline so that the knife is drawn downwardly into an inoperative position by a more gradual movement of the dogs. V

In order to separate the lowermost used copy from the other copies to deliver it into the auditors drawer, a rearwardly extending deflector plate I35 is provided having a forward turned down edge I36 fastened by screws I 31 to the cross bar 48 in the forward end of the machine. This is an elongated plate having its rear corners cut off on the bias and the rear end of this deflector plate'extends into close proximity to the central partition 94. Normally, the rear end of the deflector plate is slightly depressed as shown in Fig. 4. On each side near its forward end the plate is cut out to form a forwardly facing tongue I i!) having an upturned end, which tongue is ward feeding movement and delivering it into the auditors compartment or drawer 20.

In order to insure this separation and delivery, it is necessary to bridge the space between the forward ends of the cut paper sheets and the rearward end of the deflector plate (Fig. 12) and for this purpose, a yokeplate 'ldfi (Fig. 11) is adapted to be thrown forward just. prior to the feeding movement in' order to guide the bottom copy under the rear end of the deflector plate. The yoke plate is of thin metal having its ends provided each with a slot to permit it to be mounted on the ends of two upright arms I50 fastened to the two ends of a shaft I5I rotatably mounted in the brackets SI (Fig. 2). The arm I50 on one end of the shaft is extended downwardly to form an arm I 52 in the end of which is mounted a cam roll I 53 adapted to engage the.

periphery of a cam I54 fixed on the shaft 90, this cam being so shaped that at the appropriate time a spring I55, attached to one of the arms I50at one end and to the central partition 94 at the other end is permitted to pull that arm in a forward direction thereby rocking the shaft I5I. and moving. the yoke plate forwardly and over the rear end of the deflector plate into the position as shown in Fig. 12, the forward end of the yoke plate being bent upwardly to lap over the rear endof the deflector plate so that the bottom copy will not strike against the rear edge of said latter plate when fed forward.

These mechanisms are so timed that the yoke.

plate is thrown forward just before the feeding starts and is retained in a forward position until the forward end of the bottom sheet has passed an appreciable distance beyond the front or forward edge of the yoke plate and is on its way into the compartment.

In Fig. 4 is shown diagrammatically a flatpack I 60 arranged in the. drawer IT with the end of the paper I turned around the rear end of the writing table and broken off adjacent said rear end in order to: illustrate the manner in which the paper is drawn out of the supply drawer by the forward feeding movement. For the sake of clearnessthe flatpack is shown as composed of but a single strip or web of paper but it may be assumed that this single line may represent two or more webs because in machines of this description it is generally customary to use at least three webs.

In Fig. 2 the register is shown with a web of paper IEI inserted therein, the used sheets I62 having been fed forward and severed just before they are kicked back by the rearward movement of the gripping mechanisms. In this view the web is shown as provided with the usual printed forms thereon and with filing holes I63 and lines of perforation I64 which permit the forms to be folded zigzag in the form of a flatpack.

In the operation of the register hereinbefore described, a supply of paper in the form of a flatpack, so-called, is place-d in the drawer IT. The flatpack is made up of a plurality of strips or webs of paper in" superposed relation, perforated transversely and folded in zigzag fashion on said perforated lines as illustrated in Fig. 4. The paper comprising the two or more superposed strips or webs of paper is led upwardly around the rear end of the support or writing table with the ends of the webs in register with each other and in alignment with the cutting edge of the fixed knife.

In adjusting the paper in the register the carbon sheets are interleaved with the webs and secured in position transversely of the webs as shown in Fig. 15. The register is then ready for operation and the operator writes upon the exposed surface of the top sheet the record of sale or other data which is reproduced by the carbon sheets on the underneath webs.

When the entry has been completed the register is then operated eitherrby crank or. by starting the motor. Normally, the gripping mechanisms when the machine is at rest are located a short distance rearwardly the front end of the register, the jaws being open, and upon starting the machine the rack-bars are moved longitudinally in a rearward direction to move the gripping mechanisms in the same direction. When the gripping mechanisms engage the central partition 94 they stop with the forward corner edges of the paper between the open jaws, but the rack-bar continues its movement for a short distance thereby turning the cam 69 from the position shown in Fig. 7 to the position shown in Fig. 6 which closes the jaws of each gripping mechanism to grip the forward corner edges of the paper webs. The upper jaw in these mechanisms is of spring metal so as to exert an appreciable pressure on the paper to hold all the webs together against relative movement.

On the rearward movement of the gripping mechanisms the deflector plate is raised into the position shown in Fig. 12 by the angle iron I42 (Fig. 4) and before the feeding starts the yoke I45 is thrown forward to guide the bottom copy, which is under the yoke, beneath the deflector plate. Upon the completion of the movement of the rack-bar rearwardly, it then starts on a forward movement and the paper webs are fed forwardly by the gripping mechanisms until those mechanisms engage stops I10 in the form of screws threaded through the end bar 48 and held by nuts I'II in adjusted position. At this point the rack-bar still continues its movement and operates the cam 69 from the position shown in Fig. 6 to the position shown in Fig. '7 and thereby opens the jaws to release the paper.

During the feeding movement the bottom copy is carried along underneath the deflector plate but as soon as the gripping jaws open the depressed tongues I40 of the deflector plate (Fig. 4) forces the forward end of that copy out of the jaws and that end drops down into the drawer 20 in the auditors compartment and the severing of all the used copies which occurs at the end of the feeding movement releases the rear end of the bottom copy which the deflector plate forces downwardly. As a result of this action, the bottom copy slides into the compartment in smooth unruffled condition and there is no possibility of the compartment being clogged upto stop the operation of the register.

At the completion of the severing, the rear ends of all of the severed sheets except the bottom sheet lie on the top edge of the movable knife I I0 (Fig. 13) and the knife remains in this position for a short interval until the gripping mechanisms move rearwardly a short distance to their normal position. This is accomplished by providing a short dwell in the knife cam I24. This rearward movement of the gripping mechanisms kicks the severed copies in a rearward direction over the fixed knife blade I 05 into a position to be grasped by the operator. The register is then ready for the next operation.

It will be observed that in the register of my invention, the movement of the paper webs is controlled absolutely at all times so that there is no possibility of the webs getting out of alignment with each other. The severing of the used copies eliminates all crumpling of the auditors copies since they accumulate and build up in a flat condition in a pile in the locked compartment and in numerical order. This saves considerable time and labor because, heretofore, in registers in which the auditors copy has been fed into the compartment in continuous form with the expectation that it would naturally fold in zigzag form into a flatpack, an expectation which, however, was frequently not realized, it has been necessary after removing a days work from the compartment to separate the leaves at the perforations for filing purposes. When a business is of suflicient size to warrant the use of a number of registers with a large number of sales or orders each day, the work of separating them in the auditors department is a large item of expense.

It is to be understood that my invention is not to be limited to the particular form of register herein shown and described since it is capable of embodiment in various other forms of con struction, all within the purview of the following claims.

What I claim is:--

1. A device of the character described comprising, in combination, a casing provided with a writing support and a compartment forward said support, a deflector plate in said compartment extending rearwardly toward said support, means for feeding a plurality of superposed webs forwardly from said support and means including a movable plate for bridging the space between said support and said deflector plate to direct the bottom web into said compartment.

2. A device of the character described comprising, in combination, a casing provided with a writing support and a compartment forward said support, a deflector plate in said compartment extending rearwardly toward said support, means for feeding a plurality of superposed webs forwardly from said support, a plate interposed 35 between said webs and means for moving said plate forward to bridge the space between said support and said deflector plate 'to direct the bottom web into said compartment on said feeding movement. s

3. A device of the character described comprising a casing provided with a writing support and a compartment forward said support and adapted to be looked, a deflector plate in said compartment extending rearwardly toward said support, means for feeding a plurality of superposed webs forwardly from said support, a plate interposed between said webs, means for moving said plate forwardly to bridge the space between said support and said deflector plate to direct the bottom web into said compartment on the beginning of said feeding movement and to withdraw said plate before said feeding movement is completed, and means for severing said webs after each feeding movement.

4. A device of the character described comprising, in combination, a casing provided with a writing support and a compartment forward of said support, a deflector plate in said compartment extending rearwardly toward said support, means for feeding a plurality of superposed webs forwardly over said support a predetermined distance, said feeding means comprising means for gripping the forward ends of said webs and means for reciprocating said gripping means, said reciprocating means having a longer stroke than said gripping means in order to open and close said gripping means after the reciprocation thereof has ceased, and means including a movable plate for bridging the space between said support and said deflector plate to direct the bottom web into said compartment.

5. A device of the character described comprising, in combination, a casing provided with a writing support and a compartment forward of said support, a deflector plate in said compartment extending rearwardly toward said support, means for feeding a plurality of superposed webs forwardly over said support a predetermined distance, said feeding means comprising a pair of jaws, means for opening or closing said jaws and means for reciprocating said jaws, said reciprocating means having a longer stroke than said jaws in order to open and close the same after the reciprocation thereof has ceased, and means including a movable plate for bridging the space between said support and said deflector plate to direct the bottom web into said compartment.

6. A device of the character described comprising, in combination, a casing provided with a writing support and a compartment forward of said support, a deflector plate in said compartment extending rearwardly toward said support, means for feeding a plurality of superposed webs forwardly over said support a predetermined distance, said feeding means comprising a pair of jaws for gripping" the forward ends of said webs, means for opening and closing said jaws and means for reciprocating said jaws to fit said webs, said reciprocating means having a longer stroke than said jaws in order to open and close the same after reciprocation thereof has ceased, a plate adapted to be interposed between said webs and means for moving said plate forward to bridge the space between said support and said deflector plate to direct the bottom web into said compartment on each feeding movement.

7. A device of the character described comprising a casing provided with a writing support and a compartment forward of said support and adapted to be looked, a deflector plate in said compartment extending rearwardly toward said support, means for feeding a plurality of superposed webs forwardly over said support a predetermined distance, said feeding means comprising a pair of jaws for gripping the forward ends of said webs, means for opening and closing said jaws and means for reciprocating said jaws to feed said webs, said reciprocating means having a longer stroke than said jaws in order to open and close the same after reciprocation thereof has ceased, a plate adapted to be interposed between said webs, means for moving said plate forwardly to bridge the space between said support and said deflector plate to direct the bottom web into said compartment on the beginning of said feeding movement and to withdraw said plate before said feeding movement is completed, and means for severing said webs after each feeding movement.

8. A device of the character described having, in combination, a casing provided with a writing support and a compartment forward of said support, a deflector plate in said compartment extending rearwardly toward said support, means for feeding a plurality of superposed webs forwardly over said support a predetermined distance, said feeding means comprising a pair of jaws for gripping the forward ends of said webs, a cam member for opening or closing said jaws, said cam requiring a greater force for its operation than is required for reciprocating said jaws, a pair of fixed stops for limiting the movement of said jaws in both directions and means pivotally connected to said cam member for reciproeating said jaws between said stops to feed said webs, said reciprocating means having a longer stroke in both directions than said jaws in order to operate said cam for opening or closing said jaws after reciprocating movement thereof has ceased, and means including a movable plate for bridging the space between said support and said deflector plate to direct the bottom web into said compartment.

9. A device of the character described comprising a casing provided with a writing support and a compartment forward of said support and adapted to be looked, a deflector plate in said compartment extending rearwardly toward said support, means for feeding a plurality of superposed webs forwardly over said support a predetermined distance, said feeding means comprising a pair of jaws for gripping the forward ends of said webs, a cam member for opening or closing said jaws, said cam requiring a greater force for its operation than is required for reciprocating said jaws, a pair of fixed stops for limiting the movement of said jaws in both directions and means pivotally connected to said cam member for reciprocating said jaws between said stops to feed said webs, said reciprocating means having a longer stroke in both directions than said jaws in order to operate said cam for opening or closing said jaws after reciprocating movement thereof has ceased, a plate interposed between said webs, means for moving said plate forwardly to bridge the space between said support and said deflector plate to direct the bottom web into said compartment on the beginning of said feeding movement and to withdraw said plate before said feeding movement is completed, and means for severing said webs after each feeding movement.

10; A device of the character described comprising, in combination, a casing provided with a writing support and a compartment forward said support, a deflector plate in said compartment extending rearwardly toward said support, means for feeding a plurality of superposed webs forwardly from said support, means including a movable plate for bridging the space between said support and said deflector plate at the beginning of the feeding movement to direct the bottom web into said compartment, and means for severing said webs after each feeding movement; said feeding means being adapted for ejecting rearwardly the severed portions of all said webs except for the bottom web.

11. A device of the character described comprising, in combination, a casing provided with a writing support and a compartment forward said support, a deflector plate in said compartment extending rearwardly toward said support, means for feeding a plurality of superposed webs forwardly from said support, means for directing the bottom web under said deflector plate, means for severing all of said webs after each feeding movement and means for ejecting rearwardly the severed portions of all said webs except the bottom web.

12. A device of the character described comprising, in combination, a casing provided with a writing support and a compartment forward said support, a deflector plate in said compartment extending rearwardly toward said support, means for feeding a plurality of superposed webs forwardly from said support, means including a movable plate for bridging the space between said support and said deflector plate at the beginning of the feeding movement to direct the bottom web into said compartment, means for severing all of said webs after each feeding movement and means for ejecting rearwardly the 75 severed portions of all said webs except the bottom web.

13. A device of the character described comprising, in combination, a casing provided with a writing support and a compartment forward said support, means for feeding a plurality of superposed webs forwardly from said support, means for directing the bottom web into said compartment, means for severing all of said webs after each feeding movement and means for ejecting rearwardly the severed portions of all said webs except the bottom web.

14. A device of the character described comprising, in combination, a casing provided with a writing support and a compartment forward said support, deflecting means in said compartment extending rearwardly toward said support, means for feeding a plurality of superposed webs forwardly from said support, movable means for bridging the space between said support and said deflecting means at the beginning of the feeding movement to direct the bottom web into said compartment, means for severing all of said webs after each feeding movement and means for ejecting rearwardly the severed portions of all said webs except the bottom web.

15. A device of the character described comprising, in combination, a casing provided with a writing support and a compartment forward said support, a deflector plate in said compartment extending rearwardly toward said support, means for feeding a plurality of superposed webs forwardly from said support, a plate interposed between said webs, means for moving said plate forward to bridge the space between said support and said deflector plate at the beginning of the feeding movement to direct the bottom web into said compartment and means for severing all of said webs after each feeding movement.

16. A device of the character described comprising, in combination, a casing provided with a writing support and a compartment forward said support, a deflector plate in said compartment extending rearwardly toward said support, means for feeding a plurality of superposed webs forwardly from said support, a plate interposed between said webs, means for moving said plate forward to bridge the space between said support and said deflector plate at the beginning of the feeding movement to direct the bottom web into said compartment, means for severing all of said webs after each feeding movement and means for ejecting rearwardly the severed portions of all said webs except the bottom web.

17. A device of the character described comprising, in combination, a casing provided with a writing support and a compartment forward said support, a deflector plate in said compartment extending rearwardly toward said support, means for feeding a plurality of superposed webs a predetermined distance forwardly from said support, a plate interposed between said webs and means for moving said plate forward to bridge the space between said support and said deflector plate to direct the bottom web into said compartment on said feeding movement.

18. A device of the character described comprising, in combination, a casing provided with a writing support and a compartment forward said support, means for feeding a plurality of superposed webs forwardly from said support, means for directing the bottom web into said compartment on said feeding movement, means for severing all of said webs after each feeding movement and means for ejecting rearwardly the severed portions of all of said webs except the bottom web.

19. A device of the character described comprising a' frame, a writing support and means 2;

for feeding a continuous web of paper over said support, said means comprising a rack bar mounted for longitudinal movement, a shorter rack bar fixedly mounted below said movable rack bar, a gear rotatably mounted in said frame and meshing with said movable rack bar and carrying a gear of smaller diameter fixed thereto and in mesh with said short rack bar, a pair of jaws for gripping the forward end of said web, said jaws being mounted for reciprocation in a path parallel to said movable rack bar, a pair of stops for limiting the reciprocation of said jaws in both directions, a cam for opening and closing said jaws, said cam being pivotally connected to said movable rack bar and means for rotating said larger gear for reciprocating said movable racl: bar to feed said web forwardly over said writing support, said rack bar having a longer movement than said jaws in order to close or open said jaws to grip or release the said web after the reciprocation of said jaws in one direction or the other has ceased.

20. A device of the character described comprising a frame, a writing support, a rack bar mounted for longitudinal movement, a shorter rack bar fixedly mounted below said movable rack bar, a gear rotatably mounted on said frame and meshing with said movable rack bar and carrying a gear of smaller diameter fixed thereto and in mesh with said short rack bar, means for gripping the forward ends of a plurality of webs laid over said writing table, said means being mounted for reciprocation in a path parallel to said movable rack bar, a pair of stops for limiting the reciprocation of said gripping means in both directions, a cam for opening and closing said gripping means, said cam being pivotally connected to said movable rack bar and means for reciprocating said movable rack bar to feed said webs forwardly over said writing support, said rack bar having a longer movement than said gripping means in order to close or open said gripping means to grip or release the said webs after reciprocation of said means in one direction or the other has ceased and means for severing said webs after each feeding movement.

21. A device of the character described comprising a casing having a compartment adapted to be locked, a writing support, means for feeding a plurality of continuous webs of paper over said support, said means comprising a rack bar mounted for longitudinal movement, a shorter rack bar fixedly mounted below said movable rack bar, a gear meshing with said movable rack bar and carrying a gear of smaller diameter fixed thereto and in mesh with said short rack bar, means for gripping the forward ends of said webs, said means being mounted for reciprocation in a path parallel to said movable rack bar, a pair of stops for limiting the reciprocation of said gripping means in both directions, a cam for closing and opening said gripping means, said cam being pivotally connected to said movable rack bar and means for reciprocating said movable rack bar to feed said webs forwardly over said writing support, said rack bar having a longer movement than said gripping means in order to close or open said means to grip or release the said web after movement of said jaws in one direction or the other has ceased, means for guiding the bottom web into said compartment and means for severing said webs after each feeding operation.

22. A device of the character described comprising a casing having .a compartment adapted to be looked, a writing support, means for feeding a plurality of continuous webs of paper over said support, said means comprising a rack bar mounted for longitudinal movement, a shorter rack bar fixedly mounted below said movable rack bar, a gear meshing with said movable rack bar and carrying a gear of smaller diameter fixed thereto and in mesh with said short rack bar, means for gripping the forward ends of said webs, said means being mounted for reciprocation in a path parallel to said movable rack bar, a pair of stops for limiting the reciprocation of said gripping means in both directions, a cam for closing and opening said gripping means, said cam being pivotally connected to said movable rack bar and means for reciprocating said movable rack bar to feed said webs forwardly over said Writing support, said rack bar having a longer movement than said gripping means in order to close or open said means to grip or release the said Web after movement of said jaws in one direction or the other has ceased, means for guiding the bottom Web into said compartment, means for severing said webs after each feeding operation and means for ejecting rearwardly the severed portions of all said Webs except the bottom web.

LESLIE A. I-IOLMAN. 

